Written Answers Wednesday 8 November 2006

Scottish Executive

Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006

Dr Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the commercial sale of animals at pet fairs is banned under the Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006.

Ross Finnie: The Animal Health and Welfare (Scotland) Act 2006 does not ban the commercial sale of animals at pet fairs.

Antisocial Behaviour

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding has been given to Argyll and Bute Council to tackle antisocial behaviour in each year since 2003.

Hugh Henry: The Executive has provided dedicated funding to local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour (ASB) since 2004-05. Argyll and Bute Council’s ASB funding between 2004-05 and 2006-07 was as follows:

  2004-05 – £184,000

  2005-06 – £204,700

  2006-07 – £247,000.

  Local authority funding to tackle ASB in 2007-08 has yet to be released.

Antisocial Behaviour

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many antisocial behaviour orders have been applied for by Argyll and Bute Council in each year since the measure was introduced.

Hugh Henry: Latest available figures, to end March 2005, show that no antisocial behaviour orders have been applied for by Argyll and Bute Council since the measure was introduced.

Antisocial Behaviour

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors the use of funding allocated to local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour.

Hugh Henry: The Executive monitors the use of funding allocated to local authorities to tackle antisocial behaviour through annual reporting as part of the 2005-08 Outcome Agreement approach. Guidance on this is available in Guidance on: - Antisocial Behaviour Strategies - Accountability Framework and Outcome Agreements - Reporting on Antisocial Behaviour Strategies and Outcome Agreements , a copy of which can be found in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 40824).

Asylum Seekers

Margaret Mitchell (Central Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many appeals have taken place against asylum application outcomes in Scottish courts in the last five years.

Cathy Jamieson: The number of appeals taken against asylum applications in the Court of Session in the last five years is contained in the following table.

  

 
1. Petitions for Statutory Review
2. Petitions for Reconsideration
3. Statutory Applications Regarding Appeal
4. Petitions for Judicial Review


2001
Nil
Nil
Nil
66


2002
Nil
Nil
Nil
68


2003
17
Nil
Nil
99


2004
125
Nil
Nil
95


2005
49
96
28
74

Central Heating Programme

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency are waiting for installation work under the central heating programme and the Warm Deal scheme.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  Waiting list information about these programmes is held at postcode area.

  The number of householders waiting for their eligibility to be established or for installation work to commence in the G and PA postcode areas is shown in the following table.

  

 
Postcode Area: G
Postcode Area: PA


Central Heating Programme
691
951


Warm Deal Programme
75
103

Central Heating Programme

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive when it anticipates that installation work under the central heating programme and the Warm Deal scheme will be completed for those on the waiting list in the Dumbarton parliamentary constituency.

Johann Lamont: I have asked Angiolina Foster, Chief Executive of Communities Scotland to respond. Her response is as follows:

  It is expected that eligible householders who applied to the programme before 31 October 2006 will have received a central heating system or Warm Deal insulation measures before March 2007. Where householders require gas connections, electrical upgrades, building warrants etc, it may, in some circumstances, take longer for them to receive the measures.

Concessionary Travel

Frances Curran (West of Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there are any proposals to limit to five the daily journeys which may be made by senior citizens under the concessionary travel scheme with effect from April 2007.

Tavish Scott: The Executive has no current plans to amend the operation of the Scotland-wide free bus travel scheme for older and disabled people in the way suggested.

Crown Office

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Crown Office is required to act in the broader public interest and not only as a prosecution service.

Elish Angiolini QC: The Crown Office is the head office of the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS). The COPFS is a department of the Scottish Executive, headed by the Lord Advocate, whose position as the head of the systems of criminal prosecution and investigation of deaths in Scotland is enshrined in the Scotland Act.

  It is a key objective of the COPFS to ensure that all crimes made known to the Procurator Fiscal are investigated "in the public interest".

  As well as being the sole public prosecution authority in Scotland, the COPFS has the duty to investigate, in the public interest, all sudden, suspicious or unexplained deaths throughout Scotland.

  COPFS adopted the International Association of Prosecutors’ Standards of Professional Responsibility in 1999. This states that "the use of prosecutorial discretion… should be exercised independently and be free from political interference" and requires prosecutors to "perform their duties without fear, favour or prejudice."

  The factors relevant to a Procurator Fiscal’s assessment of the public interest are described in the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service’s Prosecution Code, at Section 6 (page 8) "Public Interest Considerations". A copy of the Code is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 37201) and on the COPFS website at:

  www.copfs.gov.uk/publications/2001/05/prosecutioncode.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been allocated under New Community School projects to (a) Argyll and Bute Council and (b) West Dunbartonshire Council in each year since 1999 and on what the money was spent.

Robert Brown: For funding allocated under the New Community Schools Programme to Argyll and Bute Council and West Dunbartonshire Council in each year over the period 1999 to 2002, I refer the member to the answer to question S1W-19613 on 15 November 2001. All answers to written parliamentary questions are available on the Parliament’s website, the search facility for which can be found at http://www.scottish.parliament.uk/webapp/wa.search .

  Over the period 2002-07, funding for the New Community Schools Programme has been provided through the National Priorities Action Fund (NPAF). Funding allocated to Argyll and Bute Council and West Dunbartonshire Council in each of these years is provided in the following table.

  

Year
Argyll and Bute (£)
West Dunbartonshire (£)


2002-03
402,160
435,080


2003-04
402,160
451,120


2004-05
303,240
468,160


2005-06
404,320
585,200


2006-07
404,320
585,200



  Funding is used to promote an integrated approach to the delivery of services and support for children and families. Expenditure on individual areas is a matter for each authority taking into account local needs and priorities. Examples of expenditure include: appointment of integration co-ordinators; employment of additional staffing; interagency training and dissemination of good practice; development of joint assessment and action planning frameworks, and support for learning within and out with the school.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average class sizes were in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the (i) Argyll and Bute and (i) West Dunbartonshire local authority area in 2005-06.

Peter Peacock: Information on average class sizes in secondary schools is not routinely collected. The average primary class size in Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire in 2005-06 are available in the statistical publication Pupils in Scotland , 2005 which can be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/02/28083932/0.

Education

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many (a) teachers and (b) classroom assistants there have been in schools in the (i) Argyll and Bute and (ii) West Dunbartonshire local authority area in each year since 2003-04.

Peter Peacock: The number of teachers in Argyll and Bute and West Dunbartonshire in 2003-04 to 2005-06 (the latest figures available) are available in the statistical publication Teachers in Scotland , 2005 which can be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2006/03/28083648/102.

  Similarly the number of classroom assistants in these local authorities in 2005 can be accessed in that publication and the figures for 2003-04 are available in the statistical publication Teachers in Scotland, 2003 which can be accessed at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Publications/2004/07/19729/40787.

Energy

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in rural Scotland occupy accommodation with a poor energy rating.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish House Condition Survey for the year from October 2003 to September 2004 estimates that around 78,000 households in rural Scotland live in dwellings with a poor energy rating. This represents about 18% of households residing in rural Scotland, compared to 3% of households residing in the rest of Scotland.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of NO 2 pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995 all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including nitrogen dioxide. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achieved by the required date, the authority concerned must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and produce an action plan outlining how it intends to tackle the issues identified.

  Glasgow City Council has declared an AQMA for nitrogen dioxide covering the city centre. We do not hold details on the actual number of households in the AQMA but further information, as well as a map of the streets and households covered by the AQMA, can be found on the council’s website at:

  www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Environment/Pollution/Air/LocalAirQualityManagement.htm.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of SO 2 pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995 all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achieved by the required date, the authority concerned must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and produce an action plan outlining how it intends to tackle the issues identified.

  Glasgow City Council has not to date declared any AQMAs for sulphur dioxide.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of particulate pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995 all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including particulates. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achieved by the required date, the authority concerned must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and produce an action plan indicating how it intends to tackle the issues identified.

  Glasgow City Council has declared an AQMA for particulates covering the city centre. We do not hold details on the actual number of households in the AQMA but further information, as well as a map of the streets and households covered by the AQMA, can be found on the Council’s website at:

  www.glasgow.gov.uk/en/Residents/Environment/Pollution/Air/LocalAirQualityManagement.htm.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of lead pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995 all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including lead. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achieved by the required date, the authority concerned must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and produce an action plan outlining how it intends to tackle the issues identified.

  Glasgow City Council has not to date declared any AQMAs for lead.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of arsenic pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Local authorities are not required under the Environment Act 1995 to review arsenic levels in ambient air.

  However, Council Directive 2004/107/EC sets target values for concentrations in ambient air for a number of pollutants including arsenic. On the basis of information gathered from measurements and modelling required by the Directive, there are no exceedances of the arsenic target values in Glasgow.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of cadmium pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Local authorities are not required under the Environment Act 1995 to review cadmium levels in ambient air.

  However, Council Directive 2004/107/EC sets target values for concentrations in ambient air for a number of pollutants including cadmium. On the basis of information gathered from measurements and modelling required by the Directive, there are no exceedances of the cadmium target values in Glasgow.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of mercury pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Glasgow City Council monitors the levels of airborne mercury in Glasgow and has found no levels that are considered to constitute high levels of pollution. The council has a duty to investigate any land within its area that may be contaminated by pollutants and carry out any necessary remediation measures. They have not identified any such areas to date.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of ambient noise pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Under the EC Environmental Noise Directive we are required to provide the European Commission by the end of 2007 with an estimate of the number of people living in dwellings exposed to different levels of ambient noise from certain conurbations and transport sources. Households in Glasgow will be included in this information to the European Commission. The information will be made publicly available in line with the requirements of the Directive and will flow from a strategic ambient noise mapping exercise of such noise sources which the Executive is undertaking now.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in Glasgow live in an area with high levels of carbon monoxide and benzene pollution.

Rhona Brankin: Under the Environment Act 1995 all local authorities are required to regularly review and assess air quality in their areas against objectives for a number of air pollutants, including carbon monoxide and benzene. If a review indicates that any objective is unlikely to be achieved by the required date, the authority concerned must declare an Air Quality Management Area (AQMA) and produce an action plan indicating how it intends to tackle the issues identified.

  Glasgow City Council has not to date declared any AQMAs for carbon monoxide or benzene.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how much contaminated land there is in Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive does not hold centrally information on the amount of contaminated land within local authority areas. Under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 local authorities have a statutory duty to inspect their areas to identify land that is contaminated land as defined in the legislation. Details of the results of individual site inspections should therefore be available from the local authority.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to clean up contaminated land in Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive does not have direct responsibility for cleaning up contaminated land but provides financial assistance to local authorities who have a duty under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 to identify contaminated land and secure its remediation. This can be done through voluntary agreement, the serving of notices on the appropriate persons, as defined in the legislation, or the local authority carrying out the work at its own hand. The Scottish Environment Protection Agency has similar powers to bring about the remediation of special sites, defined in the legislation as those likely to cause serious harm or serious pollution of the water environment.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how much money it has set aside to clean up contaminated land in Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: Over the years 2000-01 to 2005-06 £3.225 million has been allocated to Glasgow City Council to take forward its responsibilities for implementing the contaminated land regime. Under current expenditure plans the council is eligible to access contaminated land grant amounting to £580,000 in each of the financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08.

  Glasgow City Council has submitted a bid for a share of the £5 million being made available in 2007-08 for specific remediation projects targeted towards cleaning up contaminated land that is creating a risk to public health or the wider environment. Decisions on the distribution of these resources are expected to be announced in December.

  The allocation of resources from 2008-09 onwards will depend on decisions taken as part of the 2007 spending review.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, into the potential environmental damage resulting from contaminated land in Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: We have no plans to do so. As primary regulators for the contaminated land regime it is a matter for local authorities to identity and investigate suspected contaminated sites and to determine whether contamination is causing, or is likely to cause, significant risk of harm to the environment assessed in the context of the current use and circumstances of the land. Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides local authorities with powers to secure remediation as appropriate.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, into the potential health risks resulting from contaminated land in Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: We have no plans to do so. As primary regulators for the contaminated land regime it is a matter for local authorities to identity and investigate suspected contaminated sites and to determine whether contamination is causing, or is likely to cause, significant risk of harm to human health assessed in the context of the current use and circumstances of the land. Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 provides local authorities with powers to secure remediation as appropriate.

Environment

Tommy Sheridan (Glasgow) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what studies it has undertaken, or plans to undertake, into the potential for jobs to be created from cleaning up contaminated land in Glasgow.

Rhona Brankin: We have no plans to do so. Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 gives local authorities powers to identify contaminated land within their areas and to secure its remediation. In practice most contaminated land is remediated as a result of conditions attached to planning consents for redevelopment proposals. Glasgow City Council is therefore well placed in its dual role of contaminated land regulator and local planning authority to assess the scale of remediation work and any impact it may have on local employment opportunities.

Food Safety

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what recent research it has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated into the effect of exposure to unsafe levels of pesticide residues in food.

Ross Finnie: Nationally, a £2 million programme of pesticide residue testing in food and drink is undertaken every year in the UK. This work is administered by the Pesticides Safety Directorate and overseen by the independent Pesticides Residues Committee whose members are appointed jointly by Scottish ministers and ministers from Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Department of Health and the other devolved administrations. No additional work on exposure has been commissioned.

Food Safety

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what actions are being taken to address unsafe levels of pesticides in food.

Ross Finnie: The Scottish Executive participates in a UK pesticides residues monitoring programme which is overseen by the independent Pesticides Residues Committee and costs around £2 million annually. The results indicate a high level of compliance with statutory maximum residue limits and continue to demonstrate that food available to UK consumers does not contain unsafe levels of pesticides. Full results of this programme are available on the PRC website www.prc-uk.org .

Food Safety

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of the survey published by the Pesticide Action Network that found unsafe levels of pesticides in various foods and what plans it has to take action on the matter.

Ross Finnie: The Pesticides Safety Directorate is responsible for the regulation of pesticides and monitoring of pesticides residues in the UK and has considered the report by the Pesticides Action Network. The issues raised are not new and many are specifically addressed in the results and risk assessments that government already publish in full.

Food Safety

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the (a) incidence and (b) level has been of pesticide residue in food in each of the last five years.

Ross Finnie: The results of the UK pesticides monitoring programme overseen by the independent Pesticides Residues Committee have shown over the last five years that around 70% of food tested contained no detectable residues among those sought, around 29% contained residues within statutory maximum residue levels (MRLs) and around 1% exceeded MRLs. The programme covers 3,700 to 4,000 samples each year for around 40 commodities. Full details are publicly available on the Committee’s website at www.prc-uk.org .

Food Safety

Sarah Boyack (Edinburgh Central) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what its position is on the latest research published by the Pesticide Action Network in respect of pesticide residues in food.

Ross Finnie: The Pesticides Safety Directorate is responsible for the regulation of pesticides and monitoring of pesticides residues in the UK and has considered the report by Pesticides Action Network (PAN). The Pesticides Safety Directorate has access to the most up-to-date safety data for pesticides and is well placed to make judgments on the risk to consumers. It does not share PAN’s assessment of the data or their claim that UK food contains unsafe levels of pesticides.

Fuel Poverty

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many households in rural Scotland are living in fuel poverty.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish House Condition Survey for the year from October 2003 to September 2004 estimates that around 109,000 households in rural Scotland are living in fuel poverty. This represents about 25% of households residing in rural Scotland, compared to 13% of households in the rest of Scotland.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on why the Food Standards Agency did not decide to withdraw unauthorised GM material on sale in the United Kingdom until 5 October 2006.

Lewis Macdonald: The Food Standards Agency has no powers to withdraw food from sale. I am advised that it has reminded food businesses of their responsibility to ensure that the food they sell complies with the law, and of the need to withdraw any products from sale that are found to contain unauthorised GM material.

Genetically Modified Food

Rob Gibson (Highlands and Islands) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what measures it is taking to ensure that no Bt 63 rice is on sale in Scotland.

Lewis Macdonald: I am advised by the Food Standards Agency that the European Commission has been liaising with Greenpeace and the Chinese authorities regarding reports of unauthorised GM material being found in a survey of rice products imported from China. This survey was carried out by Greenpeace and Friends of the Earth and it covered imported products purchased from specialist stores in London, and in Germany and France. I understand that details of the analytical methods used in the survey are not available, and that the Community Reference Laboratory for GM analysis is developing and validating a testing method that would be suitable for use by enforcement authorities.

Health

Brian Adam (Aberdeen North) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many consultants were allocated distinction awards in category (a) A+, (b) A and (c) B in the 2005 awards round, as disclosed in the BMA Scottish Consultants Committee Annual Report 2006, broken down by gender and, in the event that this information is not held by gender, whether it (i) is aware that such information is published in relation to consultants in England and Wales and (ii) will encourage the committee to produce information comparable to that published in England and Wales, in particular showing the number of women and minority ethnic people who receive awards.

Mr Andy Kerr: The number of consultants allocated distinction awards in category (a) A+, (b) A and (c) B in the 2005 awards round are as follows:

  

 
Male
Female
All


No.
%
No.
%
No.
%


All Consultants
2,654
72.5
1,007
27.5
3,661
100


 
 
% of Award Level
 
% of Award Level
 
% of Award Level


A+
38
88.4
5
11.6
43
8.7


A
127
89.4
15
10.6
142
28.7


B
272
88.0
37
12.0
309
62.6


Total Awards
437
88.5
57
11.5
494
100



  Further details on the 2005 Awards Round and on the number of women and ethnic minorities who receive awards can be found in the seventh Annual Report of the Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards which was published in March 2006. The report is available in the Scottish Advisory Committee on Distinction Awards (SACDA) section of the Scottish Health on the Web (SHOW) website at www.sacda.scot.nhs.uk/.

  I have recently set up a review group to carry out a fundamental review of both the distinction awards and discretionary points schemes. The group is in the process of hearing evidence from key stakeholders and expect to report back to me early next year.

Health

Alasdair Morgan (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what advice or guidance it has provided to NHS boards about supporting the transportation of patients who have been referred to remote centres for specialist consultations and thus have long journeys to attend hospital appointments.

Mr Andy Kerr: There are currently two statutory schemes covering the reimbursement of travelling expenses incurred by patients travelling to hospital for treatment. A non-means tested Highlands and Islands Scheme for patients resident or working in the former Highlands and Islands Development Board area and a means tested scheme covering the rest of the country. In addition, NHS boards also have discretion to reimburse such expenses to patients who may not be eligible under the statutory schemes. Guidance to NHS boards from the Executive sets out details of those patients who are eligible for reimbursement of travelling expenses under the statutory schemes and also states that boards are expected to exercise their discretion sympathetically and to reimburse reasonable costs, particularly where patients are referred to hospitals outwith their own board area.

Housing

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many damp houses there are in rural Scotland.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish House Condition Survey for the year from October 2003 to September 2004 estimates that around 30,000 households in rural Scotland live in dwellings showing signs of rising or penetrating damp. This represents about 7% of households residing in rural Scotland, compared to 4% of households residing in the rest of Scotland.

Justice

Mr David Davidson (North East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what information each police force has on how many car drivers were found to be without (a) insurance, (b) a valid MOT certificate or (c) road tax in each year since 1999, and what action it has taken to address such offences.

Cathy Jamieson: The following tables show the relevant offences as recorded by the police:

  Insurance Offences by Year and Police Force Area

  

Year
Central
Dumfries and Galloway
Fife
Grampian
Lothian and Borders
Northern
Strathclyde
Tayside
All Scotland


1999-2000
1,123
716
1,578
2,534
3,821
905
12,032
1,819
24,528


2000-01
1,116
776
2,343
2,347
3,831
1,076
11,497
1,598
24,584


2001-02
1,732
768
2,295
2,847
4,235
1,166
12,607
2,715
28,365


2002-03
1,823
956
2,491
3,048
4,525
1,212
13,460
2,997
30,512


2003-04
1,403
795
2,532
2,597
4,843
1,247
13,461
3,436
30,314


2004-05
1,162
856
2,260
2,125
3,980
1,047
11,165
2,607
25,202


2005-06
1,238
924
1,880
2,226
4,177
987
1,1221
2,487
25,140



  Using Motor Vehicle Without Test Certificate: Offences by Year and Police Force Area

  

Year
Central
Dumfries and Galloway
Fife
Grampian
Lothian and Borders
Northern
Strathclyde
Tayside
All Scotland


1999-2000
667
480
746
1,020
2,079
445
6,827
981
13,245


2000-01
659
404
1,335
1,018
2,948
509
6,461
848
13,182


2001-02
1,122
373
1,168
1,275
 2,196
547
7,006
1,346
15,033


2002-03
997
475
1,017
1,298
2,049
601
6,966
1,528
14,931


2003-04
825
372
892
1,066
1,993
576
6,613
1,745
14,082


2004-05
570
359
577
737
1,355
452
4,543
1,075
9,668


2005-06
510
342
381
651
1,288
443
4,442
950
9,007



  Vehicle Excise Licence Offences by Year and Police Force Area

  

Year
Central
Dumfries and Galloway
Fife
Grampian
Lothian and Borders
Northern
Strathclyde
Tayside
All Scotland


1999-2000
1,070
522
2,106
2,008
2,883
1,058
9,494
1,549
20,690


2000-01
1,330
788
2,530
1,761
3,998
837
11,056
1,612
23,912


2001-02
1,576
531
1,775
1,964
5,885
837
10,782
1,544
24,894


2002-03
1,538
271
2,300
1,811
 6,864
787
11,728
2,015
27,314


2003-04
1,323
665
2,455
1,591
8,602
470
10,755
2,088
27,949


2004-05
774
424
1,705
1,226
6,164
824
6,274
1,026
18,417


2005-06
803
284
1,143
1,168
6,637
339
6,799
1,253
18,426



  Road traffic legislation is reserved to the UK Parliament, and enforcement is a matter for individual police forces. We continue to work with the UK Government to support its work on improving compliance in these areas.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what average number of hours of community service has been imposed in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The information requested is given in table 7 of statistical bulletin Criminal Proceedings in Scottish Courts, 2004-05  published by the Scottish Executive Justice Department in 2006, a copy of which is available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 39481).

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many community service orders have been breached in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information on breach applications of community service orders is given in the statistical bulletin Criminal Justice Social Work Statistics at table 14 of the 2004-05 bulletin and table 16 of the 2003-04 bulletin. Copies of these publications are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 38762 and 35106 respectively).

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many custodial sentences have been imposed for breaches of community service orders in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The available information is given in the following table.

  Proceedings for breach of a community service order which resulted in a custodial sentence being imposed, 1999-2000 to 2004-05:

  

Year
1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05


Number
525
508
473
372
469
398

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the average time has been for individuals to commence work on a community service order in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: Local authorities are responsible for the management of community service order schemes within their areas and so this information is not held centrally.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many crimes have been committed at Scottish courts in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: The following table shows the number of crimes which are identifiable as having taken place at court. The figures includes recorded crimes of contempt of court, witness offences, prevarication on oath and perjury. Other crimes which may take place in a court room e.g. theft, assault cannot be identified from the information held centrally.

  

1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06


182
146
136
154
85
70
71

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the police and the Procurator Fiscal Service give priority to cases of neighbour dispute where there is a racial dimension.

Elish Angiolini QC: All racist incidents are fully investigated by the police. Where sufficient evidence exists, these matters are reported to either the Procurator Fiscal or the Reporter to the Children’s Panel.

  The Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) is committed to ensuring that all racially motivated crimes are treated seriously.

  The Lord Advocate’s Guidelines to Chief Constables, published in 2002, set out guidance for the investigation and reporting of racist crime. They include a direction to the police that in cases of racist crime, accused persons should be held in custody and reported by the police from custody where that is consistent with the Lord Advocate’s Guidelines on Bail. Where accused persons are not held in custody they should not simply be released but should be subject to an undertaking to appear at court unless there is a good reason not to proceed in this way. In cases of racist crime where an early arrest is not possible the police should ensure that an early report is submitted to the Procurator Fiscal in order that consideration may be given to an application for a warrant to arrest.

Justice

Phil Gallie (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how it is possible for an individual charged with a number of serious offences in separate incidents to be given bail in respect of each offence.

Cathy Jamieson: The decision as to whether to grant bail in individual cases is a matter for the judiciary, and is not an issue in which ministers can intervene. The court should reach an independent and impartial decision on bail in relation to a particular offence, based on the facts and circumstances of the case. In reaching that decision the court is entitled to take into account a range of factors, including the previous criminal record of the accused and any outstanding charges against the accused, particularly those in respect of which bail has already been granted.

  The Criminal Proceedings etc (Reform) (Scotland) Bill, which is currently before Parliament, seeks to strengthen the bail system as a whole and contains a range of measures aimed at ensuring that bail decisions taken in Scotland’s courts are more consistent and transparent. The bill will require that judges provide reasons for every bail decision made in future. It also specifies that bail should only be granted in exceptional circumstances to an accused with a previous conviction for serious, violent or sexual offences, or drug dealing, who has previous convictions for those offences.

Justice

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much security at sheriff courts has cost in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: Scottish Court Service Costs for Security at Supreme and sheriff courts.

  The costs contained in the following table are for both sheriff and Supreme Courts. The Scottish Court Service does not hold this information on a disaggregated basis.

  

Year
Security Costs


1999-2000
£771,273


2000-01
£792,206


2001-02
£1,017,398


2002-03
£933,112


2003-04
£945,353


2004-05
£1,070,320


2005-06
£1,355,960

Lord Advocate

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many cabinet meetings the Lord Advocate has not attended in each year since 1999.

Elish Angiolini QC: All dates when the Scottish Cabinet has met since 1999 are available under the cabinet-related information provided on the Scottish Executive website.

  I am not a member of the Scottish cabinet but usually attend cabinet each week in order to provide legal advice and to represent my own ministerial interest.

  Information relating to the proceedings of the Scottish Cabinet is considered exempt from disclosure under sections 29 (a) and (b) and 30(a) and (b) of the Freedom of Information (Scotland) Act 2002.

Marine Environment

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has on whether there are any proposals to transfer from the UK Government to the Executive further powers over the marine environment.

Ross Finnie: It is recognised that the proposed UK Marine Bill does raise some complex issues around the mix of devolved and reserved matters. The Executive is working closely with the UK Government to ensure that the bill is progressed while fully respecting the devolution settlement. Recognising the complexities, discussions are on-going on how responsibilities might be clarified. No conclusions have yet been reached.

Mental Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it takes to promote positive mental health for young people.

Lewis Macdonald: The mental well-being of children and young people is a cross-Executive priority with action underway in a range of areas of policy and practice. Getting it Right for Every Child is the Executive’s over-arching programme of reform for children’s services which will ensure that all agencies working with young people will join up, plan together and meet all the needs of the child. Many schools involved in the Schools of Ambition programme are tackling improvements in pupil confidence and self-esteem as part of their whole-school transformation.

  The Scottish Health Promoting Schools Unit (SHPSU) is working to ensure that every school works toward becoming a health promoting school by 2007. The Schools (Health Promotion and Nutrition) (Scotland) Bill, currently being considered by parliament, is intended to build on this work and go further by placing health promotion - including the promotion of positive mental health - at the heart of all schools’ activities.

  Children and Young People’s Mental Health: A Framework for Promotion, Prevention and Care, which was published in 2005, established an integrated approach to positive mental health promotion, prevention of mental illness and early care and treatment of mental health problems amongst children and young people in health, education and social services.

  Improving the mental health of children and young people is one of the six priority areas for action under the Executive’s National Programme for Improving Mental Health and Well-being.

  These key interventions designed to promote the mental health and wellbeing of children and young people are supported directly and indirectly by a range of other initiatives, funded by the Executive.

Mental Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what resources have been committed to addressing mental health problems in young people in each year since 1999.

Lewis Macdonald: The information requested is not held centrally.

Pensions

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many individuals will be affected by proposed transitional protection arrangements for members of the Local Government Pension Scheme in (a) total and (b) each year of transition.

Mr Tom McCabe: This information is not held centrally. However, all existing members of the Local Government Pension Scheme are covered by the transitional protection arrangements until 31 March 2008.

Pensions

Derek Brownlee (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated cost of transitional protection arrangements for members of the Local Government Pension Scheme would have been had the same transitional arrangements been implemented in Scotland as in England and Wales.

Mr Tom McCabe: The estimated cost of providing the same transitional arrangements in Scotland as in England and Wales is between £299.5 million and £307 million.

Police

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many police officers have been on duty at Scottish courts in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: This information is not held centrally and is a matter for each police force.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what legal force the police recruitment mandatory eyesight standards requirements, contained in an attachment to police circular 8/2003, have.

Cathy Jamieson: The Regulations and Determinations set out in police circular 8-2003 are made by Scottish Ministers under powers granted in the Police (Scotland) Act 1967.

Police

Linda Fabiani (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S2W-21022 by Cathy Jamieson on 5 December 2005, what degree of discretion chief constables have in determining what parts of the guidance issued by ministers should be followed.

Cathy Jamieson: As was made clear in my previous answer, issues relating to recruitment to the police service is a matter for individual chief constables. The guidance contained in police circulars is provided to chief constables to assist in their operational decision-making. It is for chief constables alone to determine which individuals are, or are not, suitable for appointment to the police service.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many prisoners serving sentences of more than four years there were in each year from 1999 to 2005 and what the estimated numbers of such prisoners are for each year from 2006 to 2010.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The average daily prison population for prisoners sentenced to four years or more including life and recalls from 1999-2000 to 2005-06 is provided in the following table:

  

1999-2000
2000-01
2001-02
2002-03
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06


2,509
2,540
2,599
2,675
2,816
2,923
2,889



  The projected average daily population of prisoners sentenced to four years or more including life and recalls from 2006-07 to 2010-11, as calculated in October 2005 projections exercise, is provided in the following table:

  

2006-07
2007-08
2008-09
2009-10
2010-11


2,900
3,000
3,100
3,100
3,200



  The results of the September 2006 prison population projections will be published on 10 November and updated figures on the projected number of prisoners sentenced to four years or more will be available then.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many teachers have been employed in Scottish prisons in each year since 1999.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  The Scottish Prison Service does not employ teachers. The provision of education is through a contract of services with appropriate educational establishments.

Prison Service

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the estimated annual costs of Addiewell prison are from 2007 to 2017.

Cathy Jamieson: I have asked Tony Cameron, Chief Executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  No costs will be incurred for HM Prison Addiewell until the prison comes on stream towards the end of 2008. The contract will run for 25 years from this point and the contract value is estimated to be £369 million in Net Present Value terms. This equates to around £15 million pa in Net Present Value terms over the life of the contract.

Sexual Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities and schools have implemented, or intend to implement, the abstinence-only approach to education on sex and relationships.

Peter Peacock: It is a matter for local authorities and schools to decide what they teach, with guidance from the Scottish Executive. All schools are expected to teach sex and relationships education (SRE). The National Sexual Health Strategy defines the best SRE programmes as those which aim to delay sexual activity in combination with communication skills development and information about sexual health services.

Sexual Health

Carolyn Leckie (Central Scotland) (SSP): To ask the Scottish Executive which local authorities and schools have implemented, or intend to implement, the Call to Love approach to education on sex and relationships.

Peter Peacock: Called to Love is the working title for the joint work being undertaken by Healthy Respect and the Scottish Catholic Education Service. The pilot project aims to produce a package of teaching materials and training opportunities to support Relationships and Moral Education in Catholic Secondary Schools, although the materials will be available to all schools. The intention is to finalise the content of the materials in the school session 2007-08 .

Solicitor General

Alex Neil (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what previous involvement the Solicitor General has had in (a) the Shirley McKie fingerprint case and (b) the Lockerbie trial.

John Beckett QC: I have had no involvement in the prosecution of Shirley McKie or the civil action by Shirley McKie against the Scottish ministers.

  I was Junior Defence Counsel for Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed Al Megrahi at the Lockerbie trial (2000-01) and appeal against conviction (2002).

Sport

Mr Stewart Maxwell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the findings of the review of Sport 21, the national strategy for sport, will be made available to the public.

Patricia Ferguson: I expect a new sports strategy for Scotland to be published early in the New Year.

Taxation

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Independent): To ask the Scottish Executive what its most recent estimate is of the administrative costs of raising or lowering income tax in Scotland by up to 3p on the basic rate and whether it has any plans to update this estimate.

Mr Tom McCabe: Given the Executive has made clear it will not use the power in the lifetime of this Parliament, we do not make estimates of the likely revenue, costs of collection, economic impact and so on. Such forecasting involves detailed modelling and would carry significant cost. It would also rapidly become out of date – so there is no advantage in doing this work while use of the powers has been ruled out.

Teacher Training

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many students specialising in mathematics did not gain an immediate placement at the start of their postgraduate teacher training course in September 2006.

Peter Peacock: All student teachers in Scotland on the one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in mathematics course were allocated a school place for their observation week which commenced on 25 September 2006 and their subsequent six-week block placement.

Teacher Training

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive how many foreign fee-paying students specialising in mathematics did not gain an immediate placement at the start of their postgraduate teacher training course in September 2006.

Peter Peacock: All student teachers in Scotland on the one-year Professional Graduate Diploma in Education (PGDE) in mathematics course were allocated a school place for their observation week which commenced on 25 September 2006 and their subsequent six-week block placement.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent by VisitScotland on advertising in the United States of America in each year since 1999; in how many states advertising was displayed; what media were used to advertise Scotland, and, if television advertising was used, in what states and over what period.

Patricia Ferguson: VisitScotland spent the following sums on marketing Scotland in the US since 1999:

  

Year
(£000)


1999-2000
1,215


2000-01
1,810


2001-02
2,570


2002-03
2,444


2003-04
2,658


2004-05
2,458



  Figures for 2005-06 will be available when VisitScotland publishes its accounts later this year.

  VisitScotland’s marketing strategy in the US is to concentrate consumer marketing on states which provide the greatest opportunity to attract visitors to Scotland. Factors include predisposition to travel to Europe and the UK, access to international airline services, and access to direct airline services to Scotland. Based on these factors, VisitScotland’s marketing has for some time focussed on the areas around New York, Washington, Philadelphia and Chicago, and since 2004 on Los Angeles, San Francisco, and the Atlanta area including working closely with Continental and Delta airlines. In addition, the Boston area will be included in collaboration with FlyGlobespan from May 2007. However, VisitScotland makes extensive use of online marketing channels, which by their nature ensure that its message does not only reach target markets, but is accessible across the US as a whole.

  VisitScotland’s US marketing strategy does not include regular TV advertising, although it does include winning coverage for Scotland on TV programmes targeting particular market segments such as golf and touring. The primary channels are print and online marketing, including direct marketing to VisitScotland’s US online databases and those of its airline partners. PR is an important part of the strategy, and VisitScotland retains a PR agency in the US to maximise publicity for Scotland. Event marketing is also a feature, not least the major programme of activities around the Scottish Village during Tartan Week.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent by VisitScotland in New Zealand in each year since 1999.

Patricia Ferguson: VisitBritain is the lead agency in the delivery of the Scotland brand in New Zealand. VisitScotland works in partnership with VisitBritain to market Scotland as a visitor destination in New Zealand, with Scotland a major part of the Britain brand. In addition, VisitScotland currently invests approximately £200,000 per year in marketing Scotland across the world through its Ancestral Tourism marketing strategy, with New Zealand forming an important strand of this work.

Transport

Ms Rosemary Byrne (South of Scotland) (Sol): To ask the Scottish Executive what information it has about how many households in rural Scotland do not have access to a car.

Tavish Scott: Information about the percentages of households in rural areas which do not have access to a car is given in Table 1 of Household Transport in 2005: some Scottish Household Survey results , published by the Scottish Executive in 2006, copies of which are available from the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. number 40754). Information on this topic is also given in table 6.4 of Scotland’s People , the 2005 Annual Report from the Scottish Household Survey, which was also published by the Scottish Executive in 2006 (Bib. number 40753), in table 12 of Rural Scotland Key Facts 2006 , also published by the Scottish Executive in 2006 (Bib. number 40760) and in table 6.2 of Social Focus on Urban Rural Scotland , which was published by the Scottish Executive in 2003 (Bib. number 27715).

Young People

Richard Lochhead (Moray) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what steps are being taken to improve the level of youth facilities in communities and what national audit has been carried out to identify the extent of need for such facilities.

Robert Brown: The Scottish Executive is committed to improving facilities and opportunities for young people and provides financial support each year to local authorities and to voluntary organisations. In addition, we have committed £2.5 million for a Youth Work Capital Fund for this financial year. Two hundred and fifty-nine local and national youth organisations have bid successfully for awards of between £1,000 and £50,000 to improve facilities and buy new equipment.

  Local authorities and their partners identify and address local need as part of the Community Planning process. There are no plans for a national audit.